Landing Ship

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PEOPLE Master Chief Electricians Mate Robert E. Blakeslee, U.S. Coast Guard Reserve Unit York River, was recently awarded the Coast Guard commendation medal for outstanding achievement. Blakeslee has over 30 years of service in the Coast Guard reserves. He is a resident of Hampton, and is married and has two children. He is employed by NASA, and is active as a volunteer with the Hampton Fire Department. Navy Seaman Mitchel L. Grigsby, whose wife, Diane, is the daughter of Demeras Anderson of Hampton, recently departed on a routine six-month Mediterranean deployment aboard the tank landing ship USS Sumter, homeported in Norfolk.

Eleven men suspected of piracy against two U.S. Naval vessels off the coast of Africa were indicted today in a federal courthouse in Norfolk. The men were brought into the courthouse this morning under heavy security. In addition to piracy charges, several of them - most of whom are believed to be Somalis - face charges of attacks to plunder a vessel, assault with a dangerous weapon, and use of a firearm during a crime of violence. Five of the suspects were captured on March 31 after firing on the frigate USS Nicholas west of the Seychelles.

More than 6,000 sailors and Marines with the Kearsarge Expeditionary Strike Group will leave Naval Station Norfolk and Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek next week, bound for the Middle East. The USS Kearsarge, an amphibious assault ship; the Ponce, an amphibious transport ship; and the Gunston Hall, a dock landing ship, will deploy Monday. The Porter, a guided-missile destroyer, and the Carr, a guided-missile frigate, will leave Wednesday. An attack submarine from Connecticut and a guided-missile cruiser from Florida are also part of the strike group.

More than 4,000 Marines and sailors, and about 100 airmen, are leaving in coming days for Southwest Asia to support the war on terrorism and a possible war with Iraq. The departing Marines and sailors belong to the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, scheduled to deploy on Tuesday. The ships include the Norfolk-based amphibious assault ship Iwo Jima, the amphibious transport dock ship Nashville and the Little Creek-based amphibious dock landing ship Carter Hall. The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable)

VIRGINIA BEACH Ship USS Whidbey Island, crew return The dock landing ship USS Whidbey Island and its crew of 80 returned to Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek Monday after a seven-month deployment to the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf. The Whidbey Island was part of a maritime force that conducted anti-terrorist and anti-piracy operations. JAMES CITY British delegation to visit CW, Jamestown The first visit by an English delegation from the town of Bideford to their sister-city of Manteo, N.C., will end Wednesday after a trip to Jamestown Settlement and Colonial Williamsburg.

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — The Navy says about 6,300 sailors are returning to Virginia ahead of schedule. Officials say the ships with the Eisenhower carrier strike group and the Iwo Jima amphibious ready group will return to Hampton Roads this upcoming week. The Virginian-Pilot reports that they're due to arrive a few days early to beat possible bad weather. The dock landing ship Gunston Hall will be the first to arrive at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek on Tuesday. The other two ships in the amphibious group, the amphibious assault ship Iwo Jima, and the New York will return to Norfolk Naval Station on Thursday.

It'll be a St. Patrick's Day farewell for more than 2,000 Atlantic Fleet sailors who are leaving this morning on a scheduled six-month deployment to the Mediterranean. They'll be joined by 2,200 Marines as part of the Saipan Amphibious Ready Group. The group will be composed of three ships: the amphibious assault ship USS Saipan and the amphibious transport dock USS Ponce, both based out of Norfolk, and the Little Creek-based dock landing ship USS Pensacola. The group will include detachments from Naval Beach Group Two and Naval Special Warfare Group Two, both based at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base.

The tank landing ship USS Boulder will be decommissioned this morning at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base after 23 years of service. Highlights of Boulder's history include standby duty in the Mediterranean during the October 1973 Arab-Israeli "Yom Kippur" War, when it was recognized as the best ship in its squadron. It also served as the flagship for Task Force Six Five during 1974 mine-clearing operations in the Suez Canal. Boulder's decommissioning is part of the general reduction and restructuring of U.S. military and naval forces.

The USS Gunston Hall arrived at the Metro Machine Corp. shipyard in Norfolk for a $100 million, 9-month overhaul, the U.S. Navy said Friday. The 610-foot dock landing ship becomes the first of its class to undergo a comprehensive mid-life modernization, which includes major upgrades to the ship control system and the replacement of the ship's boilers and evaporators with an all-electric system. All 12 of the Navy's dock landing ships are expected to receive these upgrades over the next seven years.

— The command master chief of the USS Fort McHenry has been relieved pending the completion of an investigation into allegations of misconduct. Command Master Chief Donald Darcy was relieved by the McHenry's commanding officer, Cmdr. Ray Hartman. The investigation began after the allegations were received Thursday, said Lt. Cmdr. Bill Urban, a spokesman for Naval Surface Force, Atlantic. Urban said he could offer no more details on the misconduct allegations. The McHenry is an amphibious dock landing ship ported at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek.